05-24-2012 Three Injured in Chlorine Leak at Downtown Hotel

The Chattanooga Fire Department responded to the DoubleTree at 407 Chestnut Street with several fire companies, as well as the haz-mat team.

Captain Don Bowman, the incident commander, said two workers with the hotel were in the basement, putting three chlorine tablets into a machine that adds chlorine to the hotel pool. Apparently a valve in the machine failed and chlorine spewed out into the room. The two men were exposed and at some point they left the room. A short time later, an employee from the hotel next door walked into the same area to get some supplies, and was also exposed to the chlorine. All three were coughing and complaining of breathing difficulties, so they were taken by a private vehicle to Parkridge Medical Center.

Assistant Chief Mack Moore, representing the haz-mat team, said all of the residents in the floors above the basement were ordered to stay in their rooms until the hazard was eliminated. No one was allowed into the hotel as well. Chief Moore said the chlorine tablets were turned over to hotel management for proper disposal. Meantime, the three people exposed to the chlorine were expected to be treated and released from Parkridge.

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